The gunmen who kidnapped three persons at the Goshen Community area of Ajebamidele in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, have set them free.
Sources at Goshen Community said that the victims – a man with his pregnant wife and one other said to be a pastor, who were abducted on Tuesday evening — regained their freedom on Thursday night.
The gunmen were said to have, immediately on taking the victims to the bush, contacted the families on phone and demanded N10m ransom.
A source said on Friday that the families paid N3m following passionate appeal to the gunmen for reduction.
He said, “After intense negotiation, the couple paid N2.5m, while the criminals collected N500,000 from the other person, totalling N3m. After collecting the money, the victims were released at a bush in Igbara-Odo in the Ekiti South West Local Government area on Thursday night.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti State Command, Sunday Abutu, who confirmed the release, said, “The three abducted persons from Ajebamidele, Ado-Ekiti on August 31, 2021 have been released by their abductors after a serious pressure mounted on the abductors by the Police and other relevant agencies including the locals.
“They have been reunited with their family members while effort is ongoing to ensure the arrest of the culprits. However, two suspects were arrested during the search operation in the bush,” Abutu said.
THE Punch